The Practical Visionary Offers Eight Keys to Surviving and Thriving in the 21st Century

UNITY VILLAGE, MO—Escalating crises and the state of our planet in 2010 may make some people want to go into hiding. But the authors of The Practical Visionary, a compelling new book to be released in April by Unity House publishing, have a more positive take on the 21st century – and an invitation for personal action.

“I wrote this book to give people hope, to paint a picture of all the positive things going on in the world right now, and to help people find their contribution,” said author Corinne McLaughlin.

The book, which McLaughlin wrote with her husband, Gordon Davidson, describes a new world growing right in our midst — if you know where and how to look. The first place to look, McLaughlin suggests, may be within yourself, because as you connect with your inner light, it will help you see a new world emerging all around you. “We need more practical visionaries today, people who can work on changing themselves and changing the world at the same time to pioneer creative solutions to today’s toughest problems,” she said.

A guide for successfully directing the evolutionary tides, The Practical Visionary unveils eight keys to spiritual growth and social transformation. The first key may be the most critical for anxiety-ridden Americans: Shifting our focus from what’s dying to what’s being born. “We can reframe crises as spiritual awakeners that bring us helpful lessons and new opportunities,” McLaughlin said.

The other seven keys to spiritual growth and social transformation are:
2) Understanding the big picture and higher evolutionary plan behind everything unfolding today;
3) Making your livelihood a social change strategy by bringing spiritual and ethical values into your workplace;
4) Invoking the magic of your soul and making friends with your subconscious;
5) Turning within to find your higher purpose, using tools like meditation and visualization to find inner strength;
6) Shaping your vision into an achievable mission by developing effective strategies with achievable goals;
7) Seeing money as a spiritual asset, and trusting in the abundance of the universe while using practical methods;
8) Transforming conflict into a higher synthesis, using multi-stakeholder dialogues to find higher common ground and mutual benefits.

This is the Age of Synthesis, where everything is fusing and blending, transcending old polarities, and creating new hybrids.

Far from being idealists, McLaughlin and Davidson have 30-year track records as social change agents. After living in Scotland’s legendary Findhorn Community, the couple returned to the U.S. in 1978 and co-founded Sirius, a spiritual “ecovillage” in Massachusetts. In 1994, McLaughlin coordinated a national task force on sustainable communities for President Clinton’s Council on Sustainable Development. Davidson is a founding director of the Social Investment Forum and CERES, the Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies. Today McLaughlin and Davidson are co-directors of the Center for Visionary Leadership, a non-denominational center aimed at helping people develop their leadership skills by cultivating spiritual awareness.

McLaughlin and Davidson hope that The Practical Visionary will inspire people to find their contribution to the emerging new world. “A practical visionary is someone with an intuitive, positive vision of the future who develops effective skills and sensible strategies to implement their vision and meet urgent human needs,” McLaughlin said. “This book gives you tools to connect with your inner wisdom and invoke the magic of your soul, so you can find the part you can play in the new world and thrive—despite any crises.”

The Practical Visionary is 316 pages in softcover, with a cover price of $17.95. It’s available for purchase online at www.thepracticalvisionary.org or by calling 800-669-0282. The web site also features videos, author bios and an online press kit.

About the Authors

Corinne McLaughlin is co-author of Spiritual Politics (foreword by the Dalai Lama) and Builders of the Dawn. She is executive director of The Center for Visionary Leadership and co-founder of Sirius, a spiritual and ecological community. Corinne coordinated a national task force on sustainable communities for President Clinton’s Council on Sustainable Development, served on the adjunct faculty of American University, and is a fellow of the World Business Academy and the Findhorn Foundation. She also contributed a chapter about socially responsible business practices to The Mystery of 2012 and Good Business (new from Unity House® in June 2010).

Gordon Davidson is president of the Center for Visionary Leadership and co-founder of Sirius Community. He is founder of Soulight Consulting, co-author of Spiritual Politics and Builders of the Dawn, and is a fellow of the World Business Academy and the Findhorn Foundation. Gordon was also founding director of the Social Investment Forum and the Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies (CERES).

About Unity

Unity helps people of all faiths apply positive spiritual principles in their daily lives. The organization touches millions of people each year through books, a non-denominational prayer ministry called Silent Unity, publications such as Daily Word and Unity Magazine, an online radio network at www.unity.fm and spiritual education classes and retreats. Unity Village, the world headquarters of Unity, is located at M-350 Highway and Colbern Road (1901 NW Blue Parkway), near Lee’s Summit, Mo.

Unity House®, the multimedia publishing arm of Unity, has published spiritual books and magazines since 1903.

You identify 8 different keys for spirituality and social change in your book—can you tell us what some of those are? Here are some questions about each key:

Key #1: What are some examples of New World solutions currently employed by practical visionaries?

Key #2: What are some of the ways that we can get engaged and co-create in the New World?
What is the Age of Synthesis? What are some of the interdisciplinary approaches currently being used today?
What are some tips for being spiritually sane in challenging times?

Key #3: What are some of the key strategies for change that you mention for making your livelihood a strategy for social change?
What are some personal spiritual practices that we can use to create change within organizations and the workplace?

Key #4: What exactly is our soul and how can we work more consciously with it?
What do you mean by making friends with your subconscious?
What is the purpose of karma?

Key #5: How can I develop a regular meditation practice? Can you explain some of the different types of meditation?
How can I be sure that the spiritual guidance I receive in meditation is authentic?

Key #6: What are some of the qualities of practical visionaries?
How can you shape your vision into a useful strategy to make a difference in the world?

Key #7: How can money be a spiritual asset?
Why do spiritual people seem to have money problems?
Can you be spiritual and also financially abundant?
Why is socially responsible investing growing so rapidly today?

Key #8: How can we transform adversarial mindsets and conflicts using a common-ground approach, like mediation and multi-stakeholder dialogues?
What are some of the techniques that we can use for good communication and resolving conflict?

To book a media interview or presentation by the authors, contact Ginger Young at cvldc@visionarylead.org; (571) 213-5724.